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Cold runner

PATRICK WHITE

From Friday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 4:24 PM EDT 08/01/08

Never mind the -35 wind chills. Yellowknife has become a city of fleet-footed athletes – armed with sheer resolve and wind briefs ...Read the full article

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  1. Red Fox from Canada writes: Cool Stuff (pun intended)
  2. Bill Turkington from Ottawa, Canada writes: I would agree with most of this. I'm in Ottawa, and it can get quite cold here in winter too. I've been out running when it's -30 or -32, and it's not too bad as long as the wind is light. But when it gets down to -40 or -45 with the wind chill, it's time to pack it in. It's almost impossible not to get frostbite around your eyes, nostrils, ear lobes etc. at those temperatures. The trick to staying warm is to stay dry. That means not over dressing and wearing fabrics designed to wick sweat from the skin. As the article points out, you need to have several different weights of thermal underwear, gloves, socks, etc. With a bit of practice you'll know what combinations work the best at a given temperature or wind chill. Running in winter is a bit of a chore, but again as the article points out, if the alternative is to lie around doing nothing all winter, it's a pretty easy decision to make. And one last thing -- for all you people who think running in winter is bad for your lungs because the air is so cold, get a grip. I've been running for 35 years -- only in winter, I hasten to add -- and never had any problems. Bill.
  3. Martin Bernstein from LonG BEACH, United States writes: Holy Cow. . .And I'm down here in Southern California debating with myself over whether (yeah, no pun intended) The coming rain storm might make it too uncomfortable to do a 50 km bike ride.

    Brrrrrrrrrrrrr.
  4. Robert Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: Well done, Mr. Chang, Ms. Kyrsko and Mr. McLachlan. Inspirational for us wimps that live in Canada's Banana Belt!
  5. J S from Canada writes: Bill - why do you run only in the winter?
  6. Michael From Toronto from Toronto, Canada writes: At least these guys acknowlege their is a limit to what temperatures you can run in. I was a relectant convert to winter running. Really only because I signed up to teach a beginner runner clinic last winter. Some days I would quesion our sanity going out there. As much beacuase of the ice as anything. The right clothes are key, but, and this is an important point, most experienced runners have the right clothes, the question is which ones to wear. Notice everybody in the article said getting out the door was the hard part. Your tendency is to over dress, then sweat too much, then get cold. We call it the 10 degree celcius rule. Dress like it is 10 degrees warmer than it feels like at the begining of the run.
  7. Ali Hanes from T.O., Canada writes: Don't forget the ski goggles to keep your eye lashes from freezing, otherwise they will seal shut.
    And at least one neck tube to cover the mouth and nose to create a layer of warm air around face to breath in. It cuts down on the burn in the lungs after about 5 minutes.
    I'm a condo gym treadmill wimp now, but when I lived in Quebec City, Montreal and Ottawa, I've done some pretty extreme, some might say stupid, cold running when it was -40 with windchill and they were warning people to stay in side. But I couldn't miss my run.
    I think it's in the blood. My dad's a winter runner too and he swears your blood thickens in the winter if you run in the cold a lot.
  8. Michael From Toronto from Toronto, Canada writes: Ali, Do you really find ski goggles work. I would have thought they would freeze up.
  9. amanda hanson from Cambridge Bay, Canada writes: Congratulations and keep it up to all the fellow runners of the north! While there is nothing more exhilarating than a run in the frozen arctic, I too pack it in around the -45 or 50 mark - it really feels like things aren't working so well mechanically at that point. Getting out the door can be tough some days, but man, does it ever prep the spirit for spring running - images of sunshine and gravel roads stretch endlessly...
  10. Stewart Baker from Ottawa, Canada writes: Glad to hear there are winter runners out there. There are too many myths about running in cold weather. At CFB Moose Jaw 1974-1978 there were several of us who ran daily all year. We ran 7.5 miles around the outside of the Air Base. The coldest day I logged was 43 degrees below zero F. I was usually accompanied by a member of the weaker sex, 4ft. 8in height and 88 lbs. On the coldest day of my stay there I saw the PT instructor running into Moose Jaw. That day the temp was 39 degrees below and the wind chill made it feel like 79 degrees below! There was an article in a military paper at that time that told of a member that ran outside in Alert when the wind chill was 100 degrees below! Let's face it ,the Inuit have been doing it for centuries with their dog sleds.
  11. Ryan Lemay from Gatineau, Canada writes: YOU GUYS ARE CRAZY!

    Maybe it's my Vancouver blood but every time I see you guys now that I live in Central Canada the only thing that comes to mind is that you guys have some sort of mental problem. Like what is wrong with you guys. It's frigging -35c.

    About 2 years ago I stopped a jogger -37c outside the Winnipeg Zoo area. I am sure she had something wrong with her!
  12. Art Critic from Canada writes: Tough, tough people - I'm impressed!
  13. Trish Taylor from Canada writes: I love running in the winter and I just got back from my run. Mind you, it's Southern Ontario and it's nothing like Yellowknife but it has it's moments. I've been running through the winter for the past three years now - a relative neophyte - and it's exhilarating. I have no intention of giving it up. Cold weather running has that extra kick to it, simply because of the challenge. Nothing like going for a run in below zero temps with wind chill on top of it and actually pulling it off. Great for your psyche - a superb boost to your mental energy. Kudos to Patrick White for a good article with excellent technical details. I'd love to go for a run in Yellowknife sometime!!
  14. Larry Robinson from white Rock, Canada writes: After reading the article, I realize how much I miss winter outdoor running, cross-country skiing and skating since moving to the wet coast.

    I found the balaclava/tube, toque combination worked in extreme cold, two layers of mitts because one always was taken off and I always bought new shoes in the fall with a sturdy upper and aggressive tread. Nike came out with a high top snow runner the year I left. I don't know if it is still available. I kept my tube just under my eyes and my toque at the top, no problems even with contacts. Falls on ice were a greater danger than so-called frozen lungs. After about twenty minutes, the warm layer next to the skin repelled any but the most extreme wind chill. And wind briefs were not around but only one incident was enough to wear multiple layers.

    The work-outs were invigorating and when spring arrived, I was pumped to really train hard. Now, I am admittedly a west coast wimp ... that's what year round green does.
  15. Peter North from van, Canada writes: "Sumo wrestlers wallop one another with baseball bats or bamboo swords to get fighting fit" - Sound likes a lie to me. Where did you get that information, White?
  16. Slippery Slope from Canada writes: They're morons. They'd be better off using that energy to chop wood or hunt.
  17. H B from Canada writes: Last March it was -36 with wind chill one day when I had to do my 20-mile last long run getting ready for the 30k in Hamilton. My right eye froze shut, and by the time I was running down the last couple of miles in the home stretch, against the wind, my mouth had started to freeze shut in the corners despite the balaclava. I LOVE the cold weather, but that was a bit ridiculous. Like they say, hardest part is getting out the door. 20 minutes before your run, commit to at least put on your gear. Once you're dressed, you might as well run.
  18. Jim Shepherd from Lima, Peru writes: I never ran in Yellowknife or Labrador City when the temperature got below -30C, and wind chill is not a factor with windproof clothes and a full-face ski mask.

    Breathing -30C air while jogging is tolerable for 20 minutes through a ski mask (until it becomes frozen solid).

    Below this, better to walk, wear a full Arctic parka, mukluks, gloves, and stay inside. Best Regards.
  19. Yvonne Wackernagel from Woodville, Canada writes: I can't agree that this is a sensible way to exercise; you would think that Yellowknife would have had some volunteers who could raise at least some of the money (and get more from lotteries, government programmes, etc.) for this type of exercise to be done indoors -at least out of the wind? Am I stupid or something? In their old age, when they are crippled with arthritis (famous in Canada), then they might wish they had tried some other form of exercise -INDOORS. Besides, at that time the taxpayers will have to pick up their medical treatments; in other words, would not the taxpayers in Yellowknife give something NOW to avoid the terrible expense later on.
  20. Aumharan G from Canada writes: Real troopers they are, I run starting in early spring and consider that cold.
  21. Larry Robinson from white Rock, Canada writes: Wrong Yvonne ... the greatest health risks are in gyms ... germs, viruses, fungus, recycled air in a perfect hot humid environment. You want to get sick, go to the gym.

    You exercise outside in the winter, you are healthy, invigorated and, at worst, my have a slip and fall.

    My cross-country ski club in Sask. never had a plague of flu but my personal training clients here on the wet coast, working out in gyms, are now getting sick, sick, or recovering from the latest plague.

    The human body was designed to stand upright and move and breath fresh air. Gyms are for gerbils.
  22. R. M. from Regina, Canada writes: It was my understand that with this inexorable global warming that these frigid temperatures are no longer the norm in Yellowknife and area and that soon winters will be more like fall so what is all this about freezing eyebrows and -35 windchills??? Science fiction?
  23. Neutron Star from Calgary, Canada writes: I lived in Yellowknife for 12 years, and ran up there outside in winter and summer.. there was a relatively small group of us at the time, but it's good to see it's become so popular. Agree completely that being outside was a serious antidote to the winter blahs, and what a way to keep fit! I did it for nine years, during which I ran five marathons (one of them there), and about as many halfs. About gear: I used a balaclava, at least three layers of clothing that wicked well, and the coldest I ran at was -41 C. for about an hour.. that was my personal limit, but I'm sure that would be different for others.. I am a 135 lb. woman, I was in my early 40s when I started running up there, and still do here, although I don't do the long distances now..
    Keep it up, great stuff, people! I'm cheering for you..
  24. J J from Canada writes: Hey Yvonne - the incidence of arthritis is no higher for runners than it is for the general population. For some reason, people like to think it is, presumably as an excuse not to exercise.
    The only ailment I'm aware of being endemic in runners like myself is obsession with a propensity to bore others with training minutiae :)

    You runners in Yellowknife (and all across Canada) - keep it up! You're inspiring!
  25. George H. Espley from Pickering, Canada writes: I lived in Yellowknife for more than a dozen years from 1957 to 1969. In the late winter months, my family and I would enjoy picnics on the ice of Great Slave lake, despite the cold. The skies were invariably blue and sunny, and the wind was usually calm and gentle. Running for the sake of running was something we didn't do. But running on the ice road alongside a sledge, carrying my three children was a pleasure we often enjoyed. The sledge was pulled by our dog, Morgan, a Newfoundland, and he could maintain a steady trot for a couple of miles, before he slowed to a walk. When, on the odd occasion that an Indian dog team passed us by, Morgan would immediately increase his pace as if to catch them up. That's when I would have to put the brakes on. Cross country skiing was in its infancy in those days, and consequently wasn't part of our exercise routine. But sledging with the dog provded more than some fun for my three youngsters, it gave me amd my wife a good work-out in sub-zero weather.
  26. high tech from Ottawa, Canada writes: If people in Yellowknife, or anywhere, want to improve their fitness and enjoy running, what's the problem? My suspicion is that as a year-round outdoor runner, I'll be one of the taxpayers footing the "terrible" medical bill for those who don't exercise. Go Yellowknife!
  27. Jim Shepherd from Lima, Peru writes: R.M.: Places like Yellowknife have a daily high of -40C for nearly 6 months of the year, and at -20C people start running in the streets in tee shirts, celebrating the warmth (been there, done that).

    Then there is the "midnight sun golf tournament", and Blind Steve's "ring of fire chili party" that I tended to avoid, but they were huge fun to watch.

    Northerners are a bit strange to say the least, but at least I am proud to call myself one of them. Best Regards.
  28. Glengarry Redneck from Williamstown, Canada writes: When I was in CFS Alert I used to run in similar extreme conditions. You can run in just about any temperature if layered properly. But 10 km was about my limit in the winter. I suppose I was more concerned about the wildlife. Didn't have any polar bear encounters, but we did find ourselves surrounded by Arctic Wolves one day on the airstrip. Didn't see them until they were quite close as we were running during 24 hour darkness and just had the runway lights to go by. We had pepper spray if needed, but wound up using my camera to deter them. After the flash went off 3 or 4 times, they moved on. I think they were just curious. There has only been one recorded wolf attack in 50 years at Alert, and it had rabies. But nothing like being surrounded by big carnivores to get the blood pumping. Got some great pictures. I couldn't imagine just staying indoors all the time while up there.
  29. Seb D from Ottawa, Canada writes: Wow! And I was trying to figure out how I could go out running at -5. Running on a treadmill just isn't as much fun.
  30. Alistair McLaughlin from Canada writes: When I lived in Winnipeg, my favourite runs were always at -25 or -30. I loved it. There is nothing more invigorating than a good run at minus 30. I can even remember the gel in the soles of my cross-trainers freezing solid and having to cut my run short. (Lesson learned: Don't run in cross-trainers.) I never invested in any fancy running clothing either. I'd overdress in layers of cotton, with a windbreaker over top, and sweat like a pig. But it still felt good.

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